Subject: Finding Your Inspiration...
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, I know you guys are all dying to hear how my presentation went on Monday...I'm happy to report that it went very well! I even got a laugh out of the group, so I consider that a win. Feedback afterwards from my future boss (okay, potential boss) was that I nailed it. Now it's just up to the rest of the folks I met to decide if I'm "the one." I'm crossing my fingers! On Getting Inspired On to the topic of the day. Have you ever thought at all about how inspiration comes to us? Is it something that we can train ourselves to recognize regularly, or is it just a happy surprise that hits us at random moments? When you look at the word "inspiration," it might help to understand where it comes from. An 'inspiration' is the result of something that inspires you. Ooo, there's an epiphany, Dave! Well look at the word "inspire." It's verb that indicates something is influencing you to have a feeling or idea, or that you are compelled to do something. So the inspiration is a result of either some external stimulus, or a memory of something that you experienced in the past. Based on that information, what do you now think about how we get inspired? The truth is, it can be both ways. You can get happy, random occurrences that pop into your brain based on your surroundings. You can take a more controlled approach, too, performing deliberate actions that lead you towards new ideas. Dig a bit deeper and you begin to realize that the best result for inspiration is a the two working together. It is the realization of that happy, randomly inspired thought because the environment makes it easy to create. The problem is, most people aren't tuned in to realize they're having an inspiration. So many ideas are born and die in mere moments because they aren't recognized as inspiration. Or they last long enough for the seed of the idea to be written down, but then they're forgotten and lost. We're just not real good at collecting inspired thoughts in a way that they can be used. Part of the reason for that is most people don't get taught that their ideas are important. Idea people are usually considered a little "different," and in most cultures, that isn't the way of the herd. But inspirations are the way we move life and civilization forward. You'd think being a creative person would be more acceptable in the world. Moving on... If you can accept that inspiration can (and does) happen at any time, you should spend some time thinking about ways you can grab these ideas and put them to work for you. The challenge we face as musicians is how to capture those moments when an idea comes crashing through to our consciousness. I think many musicians have a passive attitude about inspiration. They wait for the spark of an idea to hit them, rather than actively putting themselves into a mindset that anything can be a source of inspiration...
Open Your Eyes (and Ears) You can start becoming aware of more inspired opportunities by simply becoming more aware of your surroundings. Spend more time observing and listening to what is going on around you. You'll begin to pick up on sights and sounds that you'd normally ignore. As your awareness grows, these observations will mix in with your other thoughts and ideas and combine in new ways. You might hear a car drive by your house with a loud bass speaker. The sound of the thumping might get you thinking about a particular rhythm that could turn into a drum track. As that formulates in your head, maybe you start imagining a guitar riff or a synthesizer passage. They're like puzzle pieces coming together. But now we have a new challenge. Once it hits you, are you ready in some way to seize the idea? If you're not near an instrument to work out your riff or chord progression, or you're caught without pen and paper, do you have a method to remember this moment? Idea Capture... I can't tell you how many ideas I've lost because I didn't take a moment to record the thought at the instant I had it. You probably heard it before, but you should always have paper and pen with you. However, unless you have some system of taking musical notes that will make sense to you later (like writing notation), you're still going to have to rely on your memory. We usually have too much going on in our heads to trust our memories... I'd suggest you invest in some device to record your ideas. Most cellphones today have a way to record sound, so these are a great option, since just about everyone has cellphone these days. You're not going to get the greatest sound quality out of them, but that's not the point. It's merely to get the idea down so you can remember it later. Also, really look at improving your ears with some aural training. When you can recognize intervals, you have a simple way to write down ideas without having to know how to notate a score. There are many more benefits to aural training, but that's a good reason to start. Keep At It Learning to gather inspiration from thin air takes time. It's one of those habits you have to develop, and it can be frustrating. We're not used to being quiet and listening for whispers. It's doable, though. Open your awareness up to recognize things happening around you. You may begin to pick up on underlying patterns and structure in every day cacophony. You'll find your life experiences blend in and sounds will form in your head, or come out of your instrument as you play. That's one of the beauty's of music. It's still very possible to find sounds that have never been combined together to create something completely new. Every one of us has equal opportunity and ability to give the world unique and original sounds. Get inspired and get creating! Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: dave@learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com As always, please feel free to forward this email to a friend! I review products before recommending them. If you buy a product based on my recommendation, I will receive a commission. However, my emails also contain links that don’t require any investment on your part and are jam-packed with "juicy, guitar learnin' tastiness". We don't rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to forward this issue to any friends you think would enjoy its contents. They will thank you. So will I.
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